"An Amazing Aptness for Learning Trades:" The Role of Enslaved Craftsmen in Charleston Cabinetmaking Shops

• Main Author: Strollo, William A
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2017
• Subjects: Charleston; Enslaved; Craftsmen; Cabinetmaking; Lowcountry; Eighteenth Century; Cultural History
• Online Access: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5193; https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6280&context=etd

This paper examines the role of enslaved craftsmen in Charleston cabinetmaking shops during the late-eighteenth century and how wealthy Charlestonians’ desire fashionable goods fueled the demand for this labor force. The first chapter examines the rise of the wealthy Charlestonians and the origins of their taste for fashionable goods. The second chapter explores the increased use of enslaved craftsmen in Charleston cabinetmaking shops during the last half of the eighteenth century and how they affected the production of fashionable cabinet goods.